Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 2)

await the impulse to trace the marks on the sand; and, as soon as it cornes let it race to the finish. Here arises another technical difficulty. One has to make 16 rows of dots; and, especialiy for the beginner, the mind has to grapple with the appréhension lest the hand fail to execute the required number. It is also troubled by fearing to exceed; but excess does not matter. Extra Unes are simply null and void, so that the best plan is to banish that thought, and make sure only of not stopping too soon.1 The lines being traced, the operation is over as far as spiritual qualifies are required, for a time. The process of setting up the figure for judgment is purely mechanical. But, in the judgment, the diviner stands once more in need of his mmost and utmost attainments. He sbould exhaust tlie infcellectual sources of information at Iiis disposai, and form from them his jodgment. But having done this, lie should deîacli Iiis mind from wliat it lias just formulated, and proceed to concentrate it on tlie figure as a whole, aîmost as if it were tlie object of bis méditation. One need hardly repeat that in both these operations detachment from one’s personal partialities is as necessary as it was in the first part of the work. In setting up the figure, bias would beget a Freudian phantasm to replace the image of truth which the figure ought to be; and it is not too much to say that the entire subconscious machinery of the body and mind lends itself with horrid willingness to this ape- like antic of treason. But now that the figure stands for judgment, the same bias Vvouid tend to form its phantasm of wish-fulfilment in a different manner. It would act through the mind to bewray sound judgment. It might, for example, induce one to emphasize the Venereal element in Puella at the expense of the Saturnian. -i. It might lead one to underrate the influence of a hostile figure, or to neglect altogether some element of importance. The Master Therion has known cases where the diviner was so afraid of an unfavourable answer that he made actual mistakes in the simple mechanical construction of the figure! Finally, in the i. Practice soon teaches one to count subconsciously.yes, and that is the other difficulty again! — i66 —•